Miami real estate development duo Jose Hevia and Stephen Blumenthal are not afraid of taking risks, let alone catching heat.

While developers’ proposals often anger residents who are fearful of traffic congestion and the loss of green space, Hevia and Blumenthal’s plan is so controversial, it’s on a scale that Miami-Dade County has not seen for almost a decade. The partners envision an up to 9.2 million-square-foot industrial complex outside the Urban Development Boundary, an invisible line that restricts the sprawl of development as a way to preserve farms and wetlands surrounding the built-out part of Miami-Dade.

The greenbelt is vital to protecting the county from flooding, as well as for preservation and restoration of the Everglades, environmentalists say. They argue this is especially applicable to the land where Hevia and Blumenthal want to build their South Dade Logistics & Technology District.
Continue reading